“Where is the Country?!”: The Developer of Hypersonic Missiles Was “Deeply Shocked,” Revealing the Truth About the War
What lies are still deceiving us? What could shock the developer of hypersonic missiles? Why have our "top weapons" never reached the front lines, only appearing in parades? The newspaper "Tsargrad" will directly address these sharp issues and provide honest answers.
What changes does Russia's defense industry need to make in order to move beyond slogans and reports, and truly support the victory of the special military operation (СВО)? The newspaper "Tsargrad" interviewed Dr. Vladimir Yevseyev — a distinguished aerospace technology testing engineer, developer of aerospace information systems, and an expert who has participated in applied research on hypersonic vehicles and precision weapons, with a doctorate in technical sciences. We discussed the formidable tasks we face and the truth about the war.
The "Kinzhal" Missile Has Achieved Remarkable Success
Reporter: Why do we always hear from state-owned defense companies that "Russia has developed a new top weapon," but these weapons can never be deployed to the front lines and only appear as a few exhibits? Why is there such a big gap between the equipment shown in parades and the equipment used in actual combat?
Evseyev: The key issue is that the production chain has not been established and guaranteed. For example, missile developers, engine development teams, control system and electronic equipment development personnel have not effectively collaborated with the aviation industry, electronics industry, and other fields according to industry and cross-industry cooperation principles, nor have their relationships been properly organized. The entire system lacks a unified management, coordination, and support mechanism.
The "Armata" Tank Has Never Reached the Front Line. Picture: T-15 "Armata" Infantry Fighting Vehicle
There are many enterprises in Russia engaged in the development of electronic equipment and radio technology systems, which theoretically could form a powerful industrial cluster, but this has not been achieved in reality. The root cause is that the country has never clearly proposed this task or clarified the required basic component system — for example, what types of chips are needed for various weapons, how many are needed, and who is responsible for their development and production. Private enterprise owners would consider such projects unprofitable, so the state must create conditions to encourage their participation. Now we have to rely on China to solve some problems by purchasing related products, but in fact, we are fully capable of independently developing and producing them.
In 2012, the Russian government formulated a special plan for import substitution, listing a list of key materials and technologies that needed to be produced using domestic technology and capacity, but the plan was not implemented. Now, the government has announced again that it will push this work forward.
However, to be fair, Russia has indeed made progress in the development and production of basic components in recent years and can now ensure a certain level of production capacity.
As for the claim that "Russia is dismantling refrigerators and washing machines to produce military equipment and uses foreign chips," it is pure nonsense.
Additionally, it should be emphasized that the development and deployment of the "Kinzhal" (Орешник) missile system is one of the major achievements of the Russian defense industry complex (ОПК), the military, and the "Rostech" state corporation (Ростех).
Reporter: Is there another question — including defense enterprises, many enterprises in Russia have undergone shareholding reform, and some private owners believe that national urgent projects are unprofitable and therefore unwilling to participate? Some defense enterprise owners even reside in foreign countries like the UK and Germany, remotely controlling strategic assets in Russia. Have you encountered such situations?
Evseyev: I not only encountered it, but this phenomenon is a disaster. This fact further proves that strategic industries must be nationalized and the control taken back from oligarchs.
Significant Event in 2022: T-14 "Armata" Tank Conducting Training Exercises with Mobilized Troops
"I Was Initially Deeply Shocked"
Tsargrad Newspaper: Why is the industry unwilling to accept the suggestions of researchers and respond to the needs of the military?
Vladimir Evseyev: The current capacity of factories has already been filled with regular products ordered by the Ministry of Defense. They have neither the interest nor often the ability to develop new products — because this requires a lot of administrative approvals, coordination processes, and adjustments to production techniques and equipment. In the Great Patriotic War, such issues were resolved within two weeks.
Why would companies invest resources in developing and producing new products? They don't have their own funds to expand capacity. Just look at the current bank loan interest rates. Although the financing environment for defense enterprises has improved and they can receive state funding, military product production also involves civilian enterprises, many of which are private factories, and their situation is more difficult.
I know some company executives who are willing to immediately start producing various drones if they get orders. But orders often fail to materialize. For these executives, the problem ultimately comes down to money, talent, and time. As a result, products that should be mass-produced by industrial enterprises are now being manually manufactured in garages by frontline soldiers or patriotic citizens.
During the Great Patriotic War, volunteers supported the front by collecting supplies and knitting socks; today, people are delivering cars, drones, and weapon systems to the front.
To be honest, I was initially deeply shocked. Of course, this demonstrates the patriotism of our people! But where is the country?!
No Second Korolev
Reporter: Why does Russia have far fewer satellites in orbit than its rivals? Even the UK is ahead of us now. Why don't we have our own "Starlink" system?
Evseyev: Because we neither have a leader like Sergey Pavlovich Korolev (the founder of Soviet space exploration) nor our own Elon Musk.
Reporter: Musk's R&D work also received state funding.
Evseyev: That's right, the core issue is the investment of funds and the planning of tasks. Musk receives generous funding from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and intelligence agencies. He is just a manager, but he is very efficient. In Russia, however, first of all, the Roscosmos (Russian Space Agency) has extremely limited funds; secondly, the state has never clearly defined the mission objectives — what to do and why — nor has it established the corresponding institutions to coordinate and plan.
Therefore, Russia is constrained in satellite launch capabilities and the establishment of satellite constellations. For example, a powerful space-based radar system has not yet been established, making it impossible to complete remote sensing tasks for a large number of terrestrial and surface natural and artificial targets. Launching only a small number of spacecraft is simply insufficient to meet strategic defense needs.
Reporter: What role can a space-based radar system play?
Evseyev: The resolution, detection range, and quality of information of current radar equipment have reached extremely high levels, allowing it to perform tasks similar to those of space-based and air-based infrared detection and optical reconnaissance. Its advantage lies in the ability to operate around the clock and throughout the seasons — it can penetrate obstacles that optical devices cannot, such as clouds and the ground surface.
The "Silent" Operation of Electronic Warfare Systems Can Suppress Enemy Reconnaissance Equipment, Creating Conditions for Precise "Powerful Strikes" (Screenshot Source: Russian Defense Ministry Video)
"We Can Win Within the Foreseeable Future"
Reporter: What role does the rear play in the war? What measures need to be taken to make the rear more efficiently serve the victory?
Evseyev: The Great Patriotic War has proven the importance of the rear. At that time, we were able to build a rear system that supported the victory, which was one of the greatest achievements of the Soviet people and government. However, behind this achievement was massive mobilization and the efforts of the entire population, and we are far from reaching such a level today.
Under the current military situation, Russia has not yet established a power institution similar to the "State Defense Committee (ГКО)" of the Great Patriotic War. We have the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff, but the rear system is in a state of self-interest, although the state has indeed formulated mobilization plans.
Keep in mind that during the Great Patriotic War, the rear managed to transfer industry to the Urals, the Volga region, and Siberia in a very short time through centralized management, strict discipline, and personnel job responsibility systems, and quickly organized weapon production. Today, we do not need to repeat this process — the relevant industrial base already exists.
But we must rebuild the "Ministry of Defense Industry." Because the current state-owned defense groups lack effective coordination and cannot fulfill the core task of the strategic development of the defense industry. At the same time, the "State Science and Technology Committee" also needs to be re-established to coordinate and apply innovative technologies effectively. A state defense committee like this can integrate front-line, rear, and scientific forces, enabling all parties to concentrate on solving the most urgent military tasks, organizing production, and delivering urgently needed weapons to the front lines in the shortest time possible — just like in 1941.
The special military operation has lasted for three and a half years, and the fact that the Ukraine conflict has been delayed is causing dangerous escalation of the situation around Russia.
Nowhere to Hide
Russia is fully capable of winning on the battlefield within the foreseeable future, provided that economic planning and management institutions undergo structural reforms and all resources are integrated into a strong organizational management complex.
Our current primary task is to equip the army, navy, and space forces with weapon systems that can have a decisive impact on the course of the special military operation; meanwhile, to cultivate high-quality, loyal, and reliable talents for the armed forces, state economic sectors, scientific and educational fields. Three and a half years is enough for us to take effective measures and win the final victory in this war.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7552850882023539236/
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